Maniraptora
TheManiraptora, are a clade of bird like therapods that branched off from the large clade of coelurosauria. Most, if not all, were covered in feathers and they lived mainly between the Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous periods, but some evidence suggests they evolved as early as the Middle Jurassic. This clade contains several family, including the Dromaeosauridae, the Therizinosauria, the Oviraptorosauria, the Troodontidae, th Ornithomimosauria, the Alvarezsauroidea and many others. Dromaeosauridae share several common features; long arms with hooked claws and most have a 'killer claw' on each of their large toes. This claw was used for stabbing attacks on vulnerable parts of their prey, such as the neck. Some members of the Ankylosauria, such as Sauropelta, developed armour specifically to counter these attacks. Although often seen in pop culture as nightmarish and bloodthirsty hunters, the Dromaeosauridae family is in fact very diverse in ecological niches. The tiny Microraptor lived in trees and glided to catch insects and the large Austroraptor may have been adapted to catching fish. Another, Halszkaraptor, lived a semi-aquatic lifestyle and resembled modern day ducks and geese. The Therizinosauria were an unusual family which diverted from other therapods and evolved as herbivores. They had large bulky bodies, long necks, toothless beaks and massive claws on their dexterous hands, presumably for defence and also to pull food closer to its mouth. They have been found only in Asia and North America. The Oviraptorosauria family was probably the most bird like of the maniraptora, They had toothless beaks and often sported elaborate crests or fanned tails. Most are fairly small but one genus, Gigantoraptor, was a large 8 meter long animal. Their diet has been a mystery. It was at first assumed they were egg thieves that would raid nest, but this has been disproved. They may have fed on fruit, insects, shellfish or nuts. Like the Therizinosaurs, they have so far only been found in Asia and North America, though some scattered vertebrae suggest they may have also lived in Europe. The Troodontidae were similar to the Dromaeosauridae, with long skulls and similar, albeit smaller, sickle shaped claws on their toes. However their teeth were coarsely serrated or U shaped in some species, suggesting than they were omnivorous, or purely herbivorous in some cases. The Troodontidae family also had some of the largest brains for dinosaurs. Large forward facing eyes gave them excellent binocular vision and enlarged middle ear cavities gave excellent hearing. The Troodontidae have been found in Asia and North America, though their remains have often been scattered and rare. The Ornithomimosauria were another very important family in the Cretaceous and were one of the most common dinosaurs in Laurasia of that period. These swift, ostrich like dinosaurs had long legs with long feet with short, strong toes and short hoof-like claws, a skull with a beak and large eyes, long slender necks, graceful yet powerful arms and hands. Like other maniraptora, these dinosaurs had feathers. The earlier genus, such as Pelecanmimus and Harpymimus had teeth, but later genus had completely toothless mouths. The diets of these dinosaurs is not fully understood, however decay and markings on the beaks suggest they were mainly or entirely herbivorous or omnivorous. A side family of the ornithomimosauria only found in Asia, called the Deinocheiridae, evolved in a completely different direction. Instead of being long legged and swift moving, these dinosaurs developed shorter, sturdier legs and longer arms. They also became the largest ornithomimosaurs and most likely occupied a niche similar to the therizinosaurs. These dinosaurs were widespread across Asia and North America, with some evidence of their presence in Europe and possibly even Australia. An enigmatic family, the Alvarezauridae evolved in the Late Jurassic and lived until the end of the Cretaceous. They are mostly small animals with the largest being 2 meters long and the smallest at 50 centimetres and seemed to have been one of the most primitive families in the Maniraptora. They were highly specialised, possessing one heavily built claw on a short arm, with the other fingers either absent or vestigial and a long, tube shaped mouth full of sharp teeth. Its most likely these dinosaurs used their claws to rip open insect nests, much like modern day anteaters. These dinosaurs have been found in North and South America and Asia. Additionally, many palaeontologists have included the dinosaur Archaeopteryx as an ancestor of the Maniraptora. In Prehistoric Kingdom So far, two Dromaeosauridae, one Therizinosaur, one Ornithomimosaur and one Oviraptorosaur Dromaeosauridae * Utahraptor * Velociraptor Therizinosauria * Nothronychus Oviraptorosauria * Oviraptor Ornithomimosauria * Gallimimus